Intrusive Music

It was such a brilliant phrase that I stirred myself awake to write it on a slip of paper on my night table. In the morning I read “teetered but held.” Hmmm. Not bad, but what was teetering? I could not remember the blog I was writing in my mind. I was probably dreaming it, but nothing remained except the three provocative words.

Here’s something I do wake up with – music in my ears that stops only when I am talking or listening to something else. Over and over I was hearing "Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm… " and this was well before Christmas. Almost immediately after being beset by this most uncomfortable can’t-shake-it music, I read about it. No solution, but a name. It’s called an ear-worm.

Shortly afterward I had an office visit with my doctor and asked how to erase it from my head, and he laughed, “A friend just told me he keeps hearing “It’s a Small World After All.” I don’t know why it struck him funny. Well, it wasn’t singing in his head. I tried to change songs. All I could come up with was "Sing a Song of Six Pence." I got stuck and sang to Art, ”The maid was in the garden…” I stopped abruptly and looked questioningly at him, and he obligingly sang, “Hanging up the clothes.” Yes, now I had a whole new song. It started a pattern – different songs would sing in my head. This morning I woke up to, “You’re in the army now, you’re not behind the plow, you gotta get up….” Good grief, WWII. But mostly it’s “Round yon vir-irgin mother and child…”

So, who out there knows about ear-worms and how do I get rid of this background head music? Help!

--- Florence

Comments

[camelama]

The only 'cure' that I've heard of is: infect someone else with your song. Can't say it's worked for me, but a friend swears by it!

[titles inc]

Dear Camelama,
There's an old expression - I wouldn't wish it on my woist enemy.
Actually if I had a woist enemy, this might be a nice vengeance - no blood involved.
Florence

[Ellen]

Dear Florence,
How about poems, ... or old funny lyrics. Lydia the taaaa tooo ed lady ... something like that.
We are lucky to have these old songs in our heads. What's better to have inside your head besides poems and music. Not much.
Mickey and I made up two CDs for the grand kids ... songs of the 30's 40's ... 50's ... and before as well.
They'll be the only nine and eleven year olds singing "I Wish That I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" ... etc. Ha ha.
Heyyy ... whaddya think?
Crocodile Rock ... Your Feet's Too Big ... Johnny B Good ...

SPLISH SPLASH I was takin' a bath ...

Ha ha ... try forgetting that one.

Love,
No Way :-)

[Henri R. Goudsmit]

Try Quietus, a homeopathic medication. www.quietrelief.com 1-800-779-1990

[Steve Shay]

The best cure is to listen to "The Banana Phone" song on YouTube by Raffi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wky5H1xC6-I

It will knock out Silent Night, the theme song to Gilligan's Island, even Barry Manilow's Copacabana. Basically, it is like curing your headache by poundng a hammer on your big toe.

[Florence]

Gee, thanks a lot, Steve. Raucous. The cartoon animals are cute, but that's not my Banana phone looks like.